


With Malice in Mind

by quicksylver28



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) Feels, Mind Control, Pre-Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers Feels, Tony Stark Feels, it's there if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 15:19:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7579204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicksylver28/pseuds/quicksylver28
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Mr. Stark?</p><p>“It’s Doctor Stark actually. “</p><p>“Mr. Antony Stark?”</p><p>“Hey what is this? Barton are you trolling me or something? I can find you Legolas…”</p><p>“Anthony Edward Stark”</p><p>“…………………….. Yes”</p><p>“Listen.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	With Malice in Mind

**Author's Note:**

> I got bitten by this plot bunny this morning and am currently up at half one in the morning watching Jaws marathon and typing this instead of working on Go with the Flow or even my Rough trade Little black dress challenge for July. It just wouldn't let go nor would it let me write anything else until i wrote this.
> 
> i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it.

“Mr. Stark?

“It’s Doctor Stark actually. “

“Mr. Antony Stark?”

“Hey what is this? Barton are you trolling me or something? I can find you Legolas…”

“Anthony Edward Stark”

“………… Yes”

“Listen.”

Steve didn't know what struck him as strange when he looked up at Tony from across the room. Maybe it was the way the usually ever moving and physical genius was standing completely still with his phone against his ear. Or maybe it was the way Tony’s face seems drained of all emotion, it was something like Jarvis had tried to explain to Steve when he’d gripped his tablet too hard.

It was the black screen of death.

It was jarring to see that on someone like Tony who seemed to move as the universe flowed, in strange and mysterious ways. Steve found it beautiful to witness as a matter of fact. Often times caught himself staring at Tony whenever they were in the same room together. Tony spoke with his whole body, communicated with his entire personality.

It chilled something in Steve to see him so still, so much so that he didn't even notice that he’d stopped mid-sentence, his smile falling off his face. He felt a hand on his arm and jumped, tearing his eyes away from Tony. Natasha had a concerned look on her face.

“Steve?” she glanced between him and Tony with a frown.

He opened his mouth but couldn't form the words. Tony started walking towards them with a smile and fear blossomed in Steve’s chest because that smile, even though it was as believable as the ones Tony pulled out for the press or Justin Hammer, his eyes were as dead and dull as Bucky’s when he was deep in the Winter Soldier.

Steve’s heart stuttered in his chest as Tony smiled and joked with the others, laughing as he made his excuses to leave, an almost perfect performance except for the deadness in his eyes. Before he knew it Steve’s hand had reached out and grabbed Tony’s wrist in a soft yet firm grip.

Tony turned to Steve with that terrifying gaze. “Hey Cap, you know I love to spend time with you and all but I really have to go now so how about loosening up that grip huh?”

Silence fell in the room as Steve looked down at where his hand gripped Tony’s wrist and could not for the life of him bring himself to loosen his fingers. He blinked rapidly and shook his head.

“I’m sorry Tony… but no.”

Tony frowned. “Seriously Cap… I need to go now.”

“Steve… " Natasha stepped closer. "Steve, what’s going on?”

Steve glanced at her cautious face then back at Tony. “You should stay… stay here… stay with me… with us I mean. I need you to stay.”

Tony chuckled and it scraped like a dull knife down Steve’s spine. “I’m flattered really Steve but now is not the time to declare your undying love for me. Any other time I’d head for the nearest flat surface but this is gonna have to wait until I get back ok?”

He tugged at his hand and frowned as Steve’s grip would not give. “This isn't funny Rogers. Let me go.”

Steve shook his head and took a deep breath. “Tell me where you are going.”

Tony scowled. “What are you my parole officer? Last time I checked I was a grown man and that means I don’t have to tell you where I’m going MOMvenger. Just know that I’ll be back before curfew happy?”

“Yeah Steve… what’s the big idea?” Bruce steps forward with a frown, cleaning his glasses with his shirt tail. “Tony doesn't need your permission to leave.”

Tony nods at his science bro. “Brucie bear is right. So just let me go and I’ll be on my way.”

Steve heart is racing. “I can’t …. Just… Let me come with you then.”

Tony makes a face, looking Steve up and down. “Not that it’s any of your business but where I an going... a tall blonde beef cake is going to stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Then take someone… anyone with you.” Steve bargains.

Steve cast a glance around the room. Natasha and Coulson are have moved into flanking positions, ready to jump in should things become unglued. Bruce has stepped a bit back, frowning as he cleans his glasses furiously.

Tony shrugged and glanced at the others. “Ok I’ll take Bruce with me…”

“NO” Steve shouts, starling everyone. He gulps ad takes a slow deep breath, bringing his other hand up as if in surrender. “… I mean … take Natasha… she can… handle herself in any situation”

He sends a pleading look to the redhead and she stiffens at the naked fear in his eyes. She looks searchingly at Tony and puts on an easy smile as fake as his own.

“I am a super spy stark. I’m sure I can deal with anything you have going on.”

Coulson notes the change in her body language and subtly moves between Tony and Bruce, shunting the man further back into the room.

Tony exhales sharply with a frown, making an attempt to wrest his hand from Steve’s grip.

“I know very well what you are capable of Miz Rushman…" Tony sneers the name "... but the fun and games are over and you need to let me go NOW captain.”

He tries again to break the grip and snarls when he fails again and again.

“Let me the fuck go Rogers”

Steve looks stricken but he doesn't loosen his grip. “I’m sorry Tony but I need you to stay here. I need you to stay.”

Suddenly Tony stops struggling and stills, all emotion falling off his face in an instant. Steve hears Natasha hiss a breath at the transformation. When Tony looks up, she mutters a curse in Russian at the dead look in his eyes.

“Stark?” Coulson sounds shaken.

Tony turns his head slightly to look at the others with an economy of motion. “You need to let me go”

The non emotion in his voice has Bruce stumbling back into a chair, his face pale and a bit green.

Tony’s face twitches and that is all the warning Steve has before Tony lashes out. The fight is as brutal as it is short. Tony gets in a few good hits before Steve has him pinned to the table in a sleeper hold.

Finally Tony slumps unto the table and Steve can breathe again. He collapses into a nearby chair and give a ragged breath, silent tears in the corners of his eyes.

“What the fuck?” Coulson breathes. “...The looks like…”

“Clint under Loki” Natasha growls. She cuts a look at Steve. “What just happened?”

Bruce gave a shudder. “There’s something wrong with Tony… he was just so….so…”

“Wrong.” Coulson finished.

Phil pulled some flex cuffs and deftly restrained Tony as he lay against the conference table and Natasha stepped to the door and flipped the lock. It looked so wrong to see Tony laying like that, face twisted and pressed against the glass table top.

Steve looks up at the others, completely at a loss. “What do we do now?”

Coulson stares back at him. “That depends on you telling us what happened to make you act like you did.”

Natasha nodded. “You noticed something wrong before any of us. What was it? How did you know something was amiss?”

Steve shook his head “I … i…. I don’t know…. He was just so still. He just looked so…. Like Bucky. His eyes were dead like Bucky’s were on the carrier. Like the Soldier. I don’t know how to explain it… he just…”

Natasha squatted and put a hand on Steve’s knee.

“It’s ok Steve, just breathe and calm down. What do you remember from that moment that Tony first felt wrong? What was happening? You were talking and laughing with us and then you looked at Tony… go back to that moment. What was he doing? Where was he standing? Was he looking at anything? Was he holding anything?”

Steve stood abruptly “He got a phone call. I heard his stupid ring tone. He went to the window to answer it. That’s when it happened. He was on the phone.”

“OK” Coulson nodded, searching Tony’s pocket for his phone and scrolling through the calls. “There’s a number here… it looks like a city pay phone. Jarvis, can you run a trace on this number and see where it came from?”

Tony’s AI replied “I’m sorry Director Coulson, the number is one that has been listed discontinued for over six months. Its location was in a decommissioned subway station that was demolished two months ago.

‘Fuck’ Bruce dropped his head into his hands. “Dead end”

Natasha frowned. “Jarvis, do you listen to Tony’s phone calls?

Steve felt a glimmer of hope

“Not usually Agent Romanov. But I do usually keep recordings of all of his telephone activity in order to retain any evidence that may be needed in legal proceedings.

“Legal proceedings?” Steve demanded

“Mr. Stark receives daily death threats from a great many people. We keep all of those on file in case any of them develop into a more serious situation. Shall I replay Sir’s last telephone call?”

“Yes please” Steve drops back into the chair.

They listen to the recording at least three times before Natasha snarls at Jarvis to stop… Just stop ...please.

“Good God” Coulson folds his arms and turns away, no doubt getting a hold of himself before facing them again.

Bruce has rolled his chair to a far corner of the room, staring out of the plate glass windows as he performed his calming exercises. Natasha’s face is ashen as she grips the phone and Steve…. Steve is trying not to throw up in his mouth anymore.

“He…” Coulson shook his head and turned back around, a lost look on his face, “ He would have just walked out of here and we would have never seen him again. We would have lost him forever.”

Natasha cursed violently in Russian. Steve lost his battle with nausea and rushed to the nearest bin, trembling as he emptied his stomach. Eventually he was down to burning bile and sat back, accepting a water bottle with a shaking hand. He had trouble opening it and after a few tries, washed his mouth out with half the bottle.

God. Oh God. The things the voice had instructed Tony to do. He would have left the meeting, gotten into his car and headed straight into their enemies’ waiting arms. Nobody would have noticed that Tony had gone until it was too late. They wouldn't have known where to find him, who took him or even where to begin looking.

Steve struggled not to bring up the few sips of water he’d just taken. God in heaven. Steve would have lost Tony for good before he’d even known what he’d missed. All because of Howard Stark. Steve never knew he could hate his one time friend as much as he did in that very moment.

Luckily for them the caller had taken to bragging once they’d gotten Tony’s undivided attention. And for someone like Tony whose brain was always working multiple angles and on different levels simultaneously; having all of his faculties concentrated on one subject was like being n the path of a high powered laser. Steve knew personally jut how exhilarating that could feel.

The voice had bragged how they’d found some old records Howard had shared with a old business partner. Experiments in mind control and behavioral modification. Howard had been complaining that Anthony had not been living up to the Stark name despite being only seven years old at the time.

The acquaintance had agreed to ‘modify’ Tony so that he would be more suitable heir to the Stark legacy. They’d kept it secret from Maria, the Jarvises and a sharp minded Aunt Peggy by disguising it as one of the many kidnappings Tony had experienced in his young life.

For a whole month Tony had been kept for modification. Only seven years old. Jesus Christ.

Howard had ended up being killed by Hydra before he had need to try out his trigger. Or maybe the voice assumed he had. Howard had ten full years of opportunities to ‘properly mold’ his heir. The Fucker.

“What happens now?” Bruce shuffled closer, hands clutching at his rumpled shirt.

Steve steels himself and looks up at the others.

“This stays between us four. No report will ever be written on this. No one can ever have this to hold over Tony … ever. Is this room monitored?

Natasha shook her head. “I flipped the kill switch when I locked the door.”

He nods. “Jarvis, confirm that and erase anything from just before Tony gets the call.”

No one blinks twice about Jarvis hacking SHIELD.

“We need to get Tony out of here unseen. Bruce, Phil can you do that? “

Coulson nods. “We’ll get him to the tower and get him secured.”

Steve shuts his eyes with regret. “Put him in the hulk room. Jarvis I’m initiating ‘Captains Choice’ protocol. Black out all of Tony’s areas until I give the pass code. I also need for you to not acknowledge anything Tony may say to you… any orders he may give upon reviving.”

“That goes against my base protocols Captain. Cutting sir off from his workshop when he refuses to eat and sleep are one thing but he is my creator and must acknowledge him when he gives me an order. Your clearance does not allow for an override of that Captain.”

Steve puts his hand on his hips and takes a deep breath. “Ok then… think about this. Your protocols must put Tony’s protection first right?”

“Yes captain”

“Then if you needed to do something that betrays one protocol in order to perform another, which one has higher priority?”

Seconds pass. “I would protect sir to the best of my ability but this is skirting a very thin line within my algorithms captain.”

“I know” Steve’s shoulders slump. “And I’m sorry for asking it of you Jarvis. It is a hard decision to make and I will leave it up to you to decide what’s best. At least don’t let him out of the hulk room ok?”

“Very well sir. I will take your request under consideration”

“Thanks you Jarvis.”

Steve pushes his emotions deep down into a hard ball of burning rage as he looks over Tony’s prone form. The voice had been very prolific in describing what was awaiting Tony at the end of his drive and Steve heard the crude and vulgar words in his head like a record playing over and over again.

“Widow, you're with me. We are going to take a little drive to the address kindly provided to us by our future host. Leave your widow’s bite and I’ll leave me shield. It’ll just be Natasha and Steve, Tony’s friends going for a little visit. What do you say to that?”

Natasha smiled wide and sharp as a blade. “I like making new friends.”

Steve nodded and tilted his head. “I just have one question though.”

He folds his arms and stokes the flames of rage within his heart.

“Just who the fuck is Tiberius Stone?”


End file.
